For the holidays Antique Bar Party Ice Bucket, Antique Silver Snack Bowl:
http://ping.fm/sDIMG

Easy Ways to Make Your Holiday Party Greener

If you're planning a holiday party this year, here are some easy ways to make your party greener, or more eco-friendly, and still have a chic gathering.

• Recycle any wine or liquor bottles--make this easy to do by having an attractive container near your bar or beverage area, such as the Susty Party Pop-Up Bins (www.sustyparty.com ), a decorative large cardboard box, a wooden wine box (available at wine shops), or even an extra empty beverage tub.
• Speaking of Susty Party...They have excellent prices on packets of attractive off-white compostable disposable plates made of bagasse, or sugarcane residue--for example, $7.99 for 50 plates or $65 for 500 plates.  The larger size package is a great choice as you can continue to use these plates for any party or just for meals at home or office after the holidays.  And look for attractive compostable cutlery too if your holiday cocktail party or non-seated gathering will use forks, for instance.
• If you don't want to order plates online, you can go to Whole Foods and buy their World Market line, also made from bagasse; but these plates are a light brown color, so this color doesn't go well with every decor.  Or you can buy bamboo plates, which are a dark golden color and tend to look better with a variety of home decors, at Sur La Table.  If your party isn't too large, it makes sense to buy these smaller packs of eco-friendly plates from Whole Foods or Sur La Table in store (but they are more expensive).
• Buy at least one local or regional wine or beer, if you'll be serving alcohol--the local wine and beer industry has grown explosively, and many wonderful varieties are now available.
• Buy soy candles if you decide to use candles--soy candles are now very available at many retailers, and are not made from petroleum
• If you have leftover food, donate it to a shelter or church instead of eating it for a few days after your party and then throwing the rest away--or leave some to eat after your party but donate the rest, or give it to someone you know will eat it, such as a friend or neighbor.

Enjoy!

Kristina

Fandango Catering and Events
(713) 522-0077
www.fandango-catering.com

Louisiana satsuma jelly--regional citrus:
http://ping.fm/UVmd3

Tabletop and Decor Ideas for the Holidays

Since Thanksgiving is over and the holiday season has now officially begun, today we offer 7 ideas for tabletop and holiday decor for your gatherings this season.

Most of these ideas take minimal time and effort:

• If your home and decor are more traditional, decorate large mirrors and paintings with garlands and bendable organza ribbon, intertwined among the garlands.  Add metal or glass bead strings if you want to go all out.
• If you have a mantel or sideboard, whether your decor is traditional or more modern, you can decorate these with greenery garlands and fresh or faux fruit, even gold fruit, perhaps mixed with Christmas balls
• Speaking of organza ribbon, if you're pressed for time you can buy beautiful ready-made organza bows and combine with organza ribbon to decorate doorways, staircases, chair backs, tied around vases or candlesticks or topiaries, or added to Christmas trees.  A word of caution: after you've decorated with organza bows and/or ribbon, count how many of these you've put out.  If too many, subtract a few or it will look overdone.
• A modern home decor looks nice with a variety of white pillar candles, gold and/or silver Christmas balls, and gold and/or silver curling ribbon woven among the candles and Christmas balls as a centerpiece of a dinner or buffet table or on accent tables or even to decorate a bar area
• Another idea for a very modern home decor is to put gold and/or silver Christmas balls in a large glass bowl; or put the balls on a very sleek silver or chrome or gold tray lined with greenery.  The latter looks especially nice if you extend or fan the greenery out a bit from the edges of the tray.
• An easy way to decorate your seated dinner place settings is to lay Christmas crackers on them--these are so fun and cool and SO EASY--just buy them and lay them across the dinner plates. They come in decorative colors to suit many decors.  And the merriest in your group will want to wear the paper crowns inside the crackers at your gathering!
• Keep the proportions of your home in mind--a large home with high ceilings looks weird with small decorations, and vice versa.  After you decorate, ask a friend to walk in the front door and give you an honest opinion, then fix whatever.

Enjoy!

Kristina

Fandango Catering and Events
(713) 522-0077
www.fandango-catering.com

Wines for Thanksgiving that non-wine aficionados will like too:
http://bit.ly/9OepuP

Wines for Thanksgiving

Today we'd like to offer several ideas for serving wines that will appeal to a wide range of folks with your Thanksgivng dinner.

One thing we've found is that, often, suggested wine pairings utilize wines that are really too strong for the food and that are primarily geared toward people who already drink wine, alone or with food.

For those, like my family and some of our friends, who aren't really wine drinkers, a careful pairing will make your Thanksgiving meal relaxed and merry without being either too strong for the food or overwhelming your guests.  I didn't grow up drinking wine as Chef Jesús (and most other Europeans) did, though my Spanish-born father always had wine or sherry before dinner every night to "unwind" from his tax law practice. 

For folks who would like to try wine with their Thanksgiving meal but who aren't wine aficionados, so to speak, we recommend any of the following:

• A Vinho Verde (delicious with white meats and low in alcohol)
• A Riesling on the less acidic side
• A South African Semillon Chardonnay
• A Gewurztramminer
• A Moscatel-based wine on the less acidic side
• A Spanish or French alcoholic cider, also delicious with white meats

And you can also seek out wines made with fewer or no sulfites (often of local origin), and these have less of a strong taste and a strong effect on guests.

Of course, also offer at table or on your beverage table a non-alcoholic option--not only water, but maybe some fresh juices or Italian fruit sodas. Or iced tea, if you're Southerners like my family :)

Enjoy!

Kristina

Fandango Catering and Events
(713) 522-0077
www.fandango-catering.com

Love the beautiful serveware in this year's Neiman Marcus line:
http://bit.ly/sS2cDE